For the first time in five years, the Commodore Bar and Restaurant is reopening its doors to the public, starting Thursday night with a soft opening.

"This hasn't changed since the '30s and I'd be surprised if it's changed very much, if at all, if you go forward a number of years. This is irreplaceable," said owner John Rupp. "I'm very excited to reopen. We'll have a full bar menu, but we'll have a snack menu until the final lounge and dining room menu will be introduced in November."

The Commodore has a rich history. Once a hotel, it housed a speakeasy in the basement during Prohibition. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald was among its many notable guests. After Prohibition ended, the bar was built. That history, Rupp said, is what sets the place apart.

"There's a different quality and feeling about this than you find in places attempting to recreate this feeling," he said.

Patrons agree.

"This is one of a kind. Nineteen-twenty themes, Gatsby themes, you don't see that very often around the Twin Cities," said Thanh Hoang, who helps operate the bar.

For many, the reopening has been long-awaited.

"A lot of our guests have been asking when it's going to open," Hoang said. "Finally, we are making it happen." 

Hoang said about 300 people were on a waitlist for Thursday's event.

The Commodore building was eventually converted from a hotel to condominiums, with residents like Joel Pace living above the bar. He said the reopening will once again make the space a gathering place.

"It's a great place to meet and greet, not just Commodore residents, but people from all over who are coming here on pilgrimage just to soak in the history and vibes," Pace said.

To him, and all who attend, the bar is a gateway to the past.

"You're going through this portal, you're transferred back in time," Pace said. "This room is just as it was in the thirties when it was created," he said.

The Commodore will be open from Thursday to Sunday from 4 to 10 p.m.